A highly contagious strain of Covid has emerged and is already behind one in 25 cases in the UK, surveillance data suggests.
The strain – dubbed XBB.1.5 – has raised alarm in the US due to its rapid spread and a recent rise in hospitalizations. This is behind four out of 10 cases in the country, compared to two out of 10 just a week earlier.
The variant, a subvariant of Omicron, has mutations that help it better infect humans and evade protection from vaccination and previous infections.
Consecutive data suggests it was already behind four per cent of UK business in the week before Christmas.
However, experts warn that there is no evidence that the strain causes more serious diseases than previous strains.
A highly contagious strain of Covid has emerged, already behind one in 25 cases in the UK, surveillance data says
Figures from the Sanger Institute, one of the UK’s largest Covid surveillance centres, show that four per cent of cases in the week ending 17 December were caused by XBB.1.5
On December 17, XBB.1.5 was listed for the first time on the institute’s weekly updated virus dashboard.
Data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed on Friday that exposure is the cause of 41 percent of cases.
Dr. Barbara Mahon, director of the CDC’s division of coronavirus and other respiratory viruses, told CBS News, “We expect this to become the dominant variant in the northeast region of the country and increase in all regions of the country.”
She said: “There is currently no indication that XBB.1.5 is more serious.”
Covid hospitalizations have increased in the US and levels “do not appear to be increasing in the areas with more XBB.1.5,” said Dr. Mahon added.
Figures from the Sanger Institute, one of the UK’s largest Covid surveillance centres, show that four per cent of cases in the week ending 17 December were caused by XBB.1.5.
This is the first time the strain has been included in the institute’s virus dashboard, which is updated weekly.
The strain is a mutated version of Omicron XBB, which was first discovered in India in August.
XBB, a fusion of variants BJ.1 and BA.2.75, led to a fourfold increase in the number of cases in just one month in some countries.
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
